y evil'; but the very defect
in her creed which he had just discovered, drew him towards her again.
She had no Gospel for the Magdalene, because she was a Pagan.... That,
then, was the fault of her Paganism, not of herself. She felt for
Pelagia, but even if she had not, was not that, too, the fault of her
Paganism? And for that Paganism who was to be blamed? She?.... Was
he the man to affirm that? Had he not seen scandals, stupidities,
brutalities, enough to shake even his faith, educated a Christian? How
much more excuse for her, more delicate, more acute, more lofty than he;
the child, too of a heathen father? Her perfections, were they not
her own?--her defects, those of her circumstances?.... And had she not
welcomed him, guarded him, taught him, honoured him?.... Could he turn
against her? above all now in her distress--perhaps her danger? Was he
not bound to her, if by nothing else, by gratitude? Was not he, of all
men, bound to believe that all she required to make her perfect was
conversion to the true faith?.... And that first dream of converting her
arose almost as bright as ever.... Then he was checked by the thought
of his first utter failure.... At least, if he could not convert her, he
could love her, pray for her.... No, he could not even do that; for to
whom could he pray? He had to repent, to be forgiven, to humble himself
by penitence, perhaps for years, ere he could hope to be heard even for
himself, much less for another.... And so backwards and forwards swayed
his hope and purpose, till he was roused from his meditation by the
voice of the little porter summoning him to his evening meal; and
recollecting, for the first time, that he had tasted no food that day,
he went down, half-unwillingly, and ate.

But as he, the porter, and his negro wife were sitting silently and
sadly enough together, Miriam came in, apparently in high good humour,
and lingered a moment on her way to her own apartments upstairs.

'Eh? At supper? And nothing but lentils and water-melons, when the
flesh-pots of Egypt have been famous any time these two thousand years.
Ah! but times are changed since then!.... You have worn out the old
Hebrew hints, you miserable Gentiles, you, and got a Caesar instead of
a Joseph! Hist, you hussies!' cried she to the girls upstairs, clapping
her hands loudly. 'Here! bring us down one of those roast chickens,
and a bottle of the wine of wines--the wine with the green seal, you
careless daughter